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Latest HNEI News

The Applied Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaii (ARL/UH) has received a $2.5 million contract from the Office of Naval Research to address electrical grids at three naval bases in Hawaii. ARL/UH has funded HNEI to help develop a modernization and action plan to meet the Navy's future needs in Hawaii. The work will be conducted by HNEI's Grid System Technologies Advanced Research Team (GridSTART). For more information, contact Leon Roose, GridSTART Principal and Chief Technologist. For details, see the University of Hawaii news release.

Work at the Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) located off Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kāneʻohe has received an infusion of $9 million from the U.S. Navy. The funds, from the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), are directed to the Applied Research Laboratory at the University of Hawai‘i (ARL/UH), working with UH Mānoa’s Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI), to support industry testing of wave energy conversion devices. The Kāneʻohe site will be the first wave energy test site in the United States connected to an active power grid. (July 21, 2014)

Hawaii Island could be less than a year away from having some of the first hydrogen-powered buses in the state on its roadways. As part of a pilot project spearheaded by the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, three shuttle buses will be converted to hydrogen power. Two will be provided to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, while the third goes to the Hawaii County Mass Transit Agency, also known as Hele-On. (June 24, 2014.)

HNEI is supports the Asia-Pacific Technology and Education Partnership (APTEP), an educational, research and commerce development effort funded by the US Office of Naval Research. APTEP's aim is to inspire collaboration and disseminate alternative energy technologies and research developments. A video produced by ONR was released April 2014 to coincide with President Obama's visit to Asia.

HNEI researcher Michael Cooney is collaborating with Pacific Biodiesel to find a way to recycle grease-trap water from restaurants. The solution involves use of the UH-developed High-Rate Anaerobic Digestion (HRAD) system. A test-scale system was built and installed at Pacific Biodiesel's Oahu facility using funds provided by a UH Manoa Sustainability grant. The technology being developed by HNEI researchers could have a global impact on the wastewater industy. Read more.

HNEI is involved in a number of collaborative projects with HECO wherein battery energy storage systems (BESS) are being demonstrated by connecting to support electricity grids on Hawaii Island, Oahu, and Molokai. HNEI's recent test results on Hawaii Island indicate that BESS are able to overcome fluctuations in power frequency at the transmission level. To find out more, download the Project Profile.

On January 24, 2014, HNEI Assistant Researcher Kevin Davies made a presentation on equation-based, object-oriented fuel cell modeling at the HNEI Hawaii Sustainable Energy Research Facility in Kakaako, Honolulu, Hawaii. To see a file with this presentation, click here. For further information, contact Kevin Davies.

The presentation describes development of on equation-based, object-oriented fuel cell model library. To see this library, click here.